Secrets And Spies
by Ann65
Summary: A tag to the two part Nile cruise episodes from season nine. Doc and Isaac can't believe what they're seeing. Since when did Gopher know how to use a gun?


Hello, and welcome to my second story!

It's another tag to another two parter - the Nile cruise from episodes fourteen and fifteen in season nine.

For those of you who haven't seen it, don't worry - the scene that I've based this story on also starts it off. When I first saw it, I nearly choked on my coffee! But it's what we _didn't_ see afterwards that I've written about here.

As you'll have guessed, my favourite purser takes centre stage, as he reveals a skill and a secret that his friends could have never seen coming. There's also a quick reference to the episode which preceded this one. Yes, Gopher. Only you could get accidentally hypnotized into thinking you're the Captain!

Enjoy!

* * *

Secrets And Spies

Isaac released a breath he'd forgotten he'd been holding, then took another. One more, just to make sure. Just to convince himself that what had just happened had _really_ just happened.

When he'd brought Doc and Gopher to this tomb to solve the riddle of Doc's ankh, he'd never expected this. To be held at gunpoint by the relic dealer, who'd followed them to claim its treasures. To be left to die inside an inescapable tomb. Knowing his two best friends would die along with him hadn't been any kind of comfort.

Not that Doc seemed at all fazed by what they'd just been through. He was still doing what Doc did best. Kissing, and making up, and... yeah, mostly kissing, with Carrie. His latest love who, to Isaac's eternal gratitude, had just saved their lives.

Leaving him to it, Isaac turned his attention to his other partner in treasure-hunting crime, and the grin on his face turned to a startled frown.

He'd seen Gopher scared. He'd seen him upset, and hurt, and angry. And yes, he had every right to feel that anger towards the thief who'd just threatened to kill him, and also attacked him back in Edfu. But in all the years they'd known each other, he'd _never_ seen him as angry as this.

Keeping their assailant at the same gunpoint he'd just used on them, his expression was as deadly as his aim. That gun in his hand was locked on its target, keeping it square in his sights, and... _whoa_! His _left_ hand?! Since when did his fellow rightie use his non dominant hand?!

A question for Doc, perhaps, who'd finally sensed the tension around him, and now blinked and stared at its cause. Glancing at Isaac, he now shared his friend's surprise. Since when did Gopher know how to use a gun? And aim it with the same accuracy as those dead set eyes?

Now it was Doc's turn to take a steadying breath. Time for Biggest Big Brother to take charge of this surreal situation, before it took any more, potentially tragic twists. Turning the tables on the crook who'd left you with a five star concussion was one thing. Letting that anger cloud both your morals and your judgement quite another.

It would all be fine, he assured himself. Just so long as no-one did anything stupid - like eye the gun that instantly locked into a textbook, double handed aim. If Matthews had been planning to try anything else, he wouldn't dare to try it now.

At least, Doc hoped he wouldn't - just as he hoped his voice sounded a lot calmer than he felt.

"Okay, Goph, just keep him right there. That's it, nice and easy, you've got this. Carrie, go call the police. Isaac, find something to tie him up with 'til they get here."

Still blocking their only way to get help, Jason Matthews smirked back at them. Was he really going to let these three, fancy-dressed idiots stand between him, and the fortune he'd been chasing down for over seven years? Was he hell. But then a deadly soft voice wiped all such arrogance from his face - reminding him that one of those idiots now had one hell of an advantage.

"You. Hands on head, and over there. _Move._"

Any thought he'd had for regaining the advantage vanished too, as the gun trained on his heart refused to budge. Eyes that were still livid with fury defied him to do anything except what he was told.

Shifting carefully aside, Matthews felt a grudging respect for the purser who'd been such an easy target at Horus's temple, but who was now such the opposite. No wonder his friends were also staring at him with the same, if startled admiration as they tied him up with Carrie's scarf. Just like Dr Jones, this skinny runt of a kid was just full of surprises. A pint sized hero, who'd just stopped one of the biggest tomb-raids of the century.

As he was bundled into a police van and driven away, Matthews didn't see how quickly that bravado fell away. With rescue and safety came the crash of adrenalin, that left the hero of the hour blinking dazedly around him.

The effects of that concussion in such stifling heat weren't helping either. If not for one friend's medical training, and the reflexes of another, that hero would again have crashed to the ground.

Instead, two sets of arms lowered him onto the steps behind them. A voice that seemed so familiar, but sounded so far away, told him very calmly to sit back. Relax. Breathe, while also reassuring whoever was holding onto him that he didn't need to so tightly.

"It's okay, Isaac, just lean him against your knee while he gets his breath... that's it, Goph, nice deep breaths now... it's all right, you're safe now, you're all right... we all are..."

It took a few more moments, but Gopher's eyes began to regain their focus. Colour returned to a face that had lost it so suddenly, and now held a reassuringly familiar expression. The "_Now I'm for it_..." wince of dread that Burl "Gopher" Smith had made his own as he stared down at his costume.

"Aww, man! Please, guys... _please_ tell me I didn't get hypnotized again!"

Above his head, Doc and Isaac traded big brotherly grins. Ah, yes. That last cruise they'd made back home before flying out for this assignment up the Nile. A day and night of pure chaos under Captain Smith's deluded command.

All forgiven and forgotten now, of course. And for Doc at least, more worrying than he'd let on. Only he knew how lucky Gopher had been to survive that jump overboard. An even greater miracle that he hadn't drowned, but instead returned to face his real Captain - soaking wet, thankfully back to normal, and too adorably confused to be yelled at.

Down in the Infirmary, that expression had lost both its humour and its appeal. The confusion and fright he'd seen in his friend's eyes while he checked him over would stay with him for a very long time.

He saw that same confusion now. Bewilderment that would soon turn to panic if no-one answered his question. So while Isaac enjoyed his innocent laughter, Doc gave his shoulder a more serious squeeze of reassurance.

"No, Goph, you're still our crazy purser. But we _do_ need to get back to the ship now, or we'll be swimming home."

Even as he grinned too, Isaac could see the more serious side to Doc's teasing as they helped him back to his feet. Caught up in the excitement of finding that treasure, they'd left their ship with no time to ask their Captain's permission. Justly from past experience, but with no right to do so here, he'd think Gopher was behind it, and... no. The last thing he deserved right now was the wrath of his Captain.

As Carrie flagged down a taxi, a nod sealed a pact between them. Whatever they were about to face, they'd make sure their little brother didn't take its fury.

* * *

Standing on the _Alexander's_ gangway, Merrill Stubing was NOT a happy Captain. If they had a good enough reason, he could forgive any of his officers going AWOL. He wasn't such a tyrant that he'd lose his compassion to a genuine cause or emergency. But _three_ of them? Including the one who was meant to keep the other two out of trouble?

The distant blares of a car horn did nothing to improve his mood. If anything, the frown on his face grew even deeper. Whatever reason Adam had for joining those crazy kids in their latest scheme, he hoped it was a damn good one, and - _what the hell_?!

At Edfu, they'd returned to the harbour in the back of a speeding taxi with a dazed and concussed purser. And just as they'd done then, both Doc and Isaac climbed out of another, with Gopher huddled between them. From that alone, all thought of furious lectures left his mind as 'Angry Captain' became the 'Anxious Father' he'd been back at Edfu, and strode towards them. Yes, the boy attracted trouble like a magnet, but... dear Lord, not again.

Halfway there, he saw Doc raise his hand. Even with a reassuring nod, the seriousness on his face sent out the same warning.

'_He's okay. But not yet, Merrill. Not here_.'

Still searching all three of them for injury, Merrill just nodded. Instead of laying down the law, he led them back up the gangway. Straight through the lobby, past Judy's and Vicki's startled faces, and down to his cabin.

Watching them sink into the nearest couch, he knew whatever had happened had been bad. Serious enough to rattle Doc too, so... yes. Even if he couldn't share it with them, three of his senior officers needed a _very_ stiff drink.

* * *

He'd never say it aloud, of course, but there'd been times when Merrill Stubing had wished his yeoman purser would _just_... _be_... _quiet_.

Fresh out of college, and full of ideas for the career he'd always dreamed about, he'd been a whirl of energy that, in truth, his new Captain hadn't quite known how to handle. When he'd asked Doc to sedate "this pint sized tornado" while he still had some hair left, he'd not been wholly joking.

Nine years on, though, in current time, he found himself thinking the opposite. Flanked by Doc on one side, and Isaac the other, a silent and subdued Gopher Smith was a worrying sight. In even greater irony, the praise of his closest friend had clearly struck a deep and troubling nerve.

"Seriously, Captain, you should have seen him grab that gun, and face that guy down! He was _awesome_!"

Shutting out the horrors of 'what ifs' and 'might have beens' from his mind, his Captain had smiled back and nodded. All alarm aside, he'd understood and shared every bit of Isaac's pride.

With no thought for his own safety, Gopher had acted on pure instinct to save their lives. But his bravery had clearly come at a cost. A secret burden, that seemed to weigh heavily on those still vulnerable shoulders.

Isaac, too, had realized his enthusiasm may have been slightly misjudged - a now anxious glance towards his friend met with a smile, a nod of appreciation. But no reply.

As much a big brother to him as Doc was, he was every bit as protective towards him - even more so since his father had died. Through such closeness, he thought he knew everything about him. If he had any kind of problem, or just needed someone to talk to, Gopher _always_ came to him.

He was sure no more secrets existed between them. Out of another, almost awkward smile, all that was about to change.

"Yeah, I'd... um, guess I need to explain that..."

As curious as they all were to hear it, Doc knew that explanation had to come at his friend's own pace. Anything that had led to him learning to fire a gun had to be serious - and personal. From the concern he saw on their faces, Merrill and Isaac knew it too. So, like the hand he'd placed on Gopher's shoulder, words of both comfort and counsel came from all three of them.

"In your own time, kiddo. And only if you want to."

That earned him a faint grin. A glance of gratitude, with eyes that held a telltale sheen for when he'd last heard that other, equally loved nickname. Even with the love of two families to support him, it had been a long and difficult day - its memory still raw through a voice full of its grief.

"You - You haven't called me that since my dad's funeral."

As they'd done then, comforting arms tightened around his shoulders. Yet a sigh of regret still came, for all those years of anger and misunderstanding that had driven such a wedge between them. The healing truth of a father's love for his son, that had come too damn late. The death-bed confession and warning, that had turned that already grieving son's world upside down.

He'd struggled to believe it then. God knew how he was going to explain it now, to the Captain who'd filled the gap his father had left behind. To the best big brothers that a kid brother could ask for.

Not just friends but family, who'd always been there when he'd needed them. Who were here for him now - offering him all the encouragement he needed to reveal a secret that, in truth, he'd be damn glad to let go.

Where to start, though? And how much of it to share? But then his other father's voice broke into his thoughts, and guided him out of their chaos of doubts and fears.

"It's all right, Gopher, just take your time. Whatever it is that you need to tell us, we have all the time you need."

To nods of agreement, and a welcome mugful of coffee, Gopher took a deep breath, then started to share the bombshell that had changed his life.

"I'm... uh, not sure if Mom knows about this now, or ever knew before me, but... well, my dad wasn't who he said he was. I - I mean, sure, he had this sales business that took him away a lot when I was little, but... well, what you knew about that... what _I_ knew... about that was just a cover for what he _really_ did."

For Merrill and Doc, the penny was starting to drop. Quiet and reserved, Elliott Smith had all the attributes that intelligence services would look for. Touring the country with his business would let him blend in to any situation his handlers needed him for, and move on before any kind of suspicion against him was raised.

While they traded stunned glances, the penny had now dropped for Isaac too - and his eyes grew as wide as theirs.

"Whoa, Goph... you - you mean he was a _spy_?!"

A tad too late, he realized how loudly he'd spoken those last two words, but... damn, Gopher's reaction to it was priceless. Rolled eyes, and a classic kid brother grin as he took an exaggerated "_Shhhhh_!" look around them.

"If you're thinking James Bond, Isaac, then... sorry, but no. He was MI6, and my dad was... well, not quite in the same league as shaken and stirred martinis."

Another breath. the deepest one he'd taken so far. Then, with quite astonishing calmness, out it came.

"He worked for Naval Intelligence during the Cold War, but more behind the scenes... analyzing what the... uh, operatives brought back..."

They were all staring at him now. With the weight of his secret now lifted, he could return those stunned expressions with a nonchalant shrug. Help Doc nudge Isaac's mouth shut before he swallowed a fly. And for Merrill Stubing, his chief purser's greatest attribute now took on a whole new significance.

"If this analysis involved any kind of calculation, Gopher, then... well, you've certainly inherited that ability. I've never known anyone who can handle such complex sums like you do."

"Yeah, you're like a calculator on legs... and I bet that's why you always beat me at chess," Isaac agreed, glaring at his friend in what he thought was justly fair payback for that 'helpful' finger.

In a moment of levity that all of them needed, a mischievous smirk was worth its weight in gold. Yet more serious questions still remained. And for Isaac, the one he'd wanted to ask back in that tomb had to come first.

Gently, though, with what he hoped was the right balance of curiosity and sensitivity.

"So, uh... was it him who taught you how to shoot? And how come you used your left hand?"

"Yeah, that kinda threw me too," Gopher sighed through a wry grin as he nodded towards Doc. "And Doc'll understand it more than I ever will, but... well, apparently, I'm left eye dominant. Not really obvious with things I do every day, but... well, pretty important when it comes to firing a gun. And as for him teaching me, then... no, he didn't. I, uh... had to do that myself."

Reminded again of why he'd had to learn such a deadly skill, he fell silent once more. It took several moments, and several mouthfuls of coffee, before he continued.

"A few weeks before he died, he... uh, called me into the hospital. Just me, not... uh...not Mom. She thought it was for me to say goodbye to him, in case I was... you know, away at sea when he passed on, but... well, the truth was he was scared. _Really_ scared. One of his old friends from those days had died a few weeks earlier, and... well, I thought with all the meds he was on at the time, he'd gone kinda paranoid. I kept telling him it had been an accident, but... well, he kept insisting I had to learn to defend myself. I didn't want to upset him more than he was already, so I promised him I'd do it... hating myself for knowing I wouldn't. I - I was just humouring him. The last thing I've ever wanted to do was learn something that could kill someone."

For the friends who knew him so well, this made perfect sense - and spoke volumes for what that decision had cost him. The thought of hurting someone, let alone killing them, would go against every part of Gopher's nature. The thought of defying his dying father would have torn him apart.

Tonight had been different, of course. Jason Matthews had threatened not just his life, but those that he loved like his own family. And as his Captain now gently reminded him, desperate times often called for equally desperate measures.

"But then something happened, didn't it, son? Something happened to change your mind."

Aah, another nickname, that Gopher loved as much as Doc's. For everything they'd been through together, he really was the luckiest 'son' and 'kiddo' in the world.

Smiling his thanks, both for hearing it now and a welcome refill of coffee, he nodded - glad to take this moment to just sit back and think how he'd answer his Captain's question. Maybe it was this Egyptian heat, or being sandwiched on this snuggly cosy couch, but he was suddenly finding it really, _really_ hard to concentrate.

Before he could continue, though, a soft knock on the door brought another welcome sight back to their seats. More coffee, and plates of sandwiches that, to Merrill's amusement, were set on by three ravenous Pharoahs.

Watching them, he could be forgiven for thinking it was their first meal in thousands of years, let alone a single night. Thank God he'd eaten so well at that costume party. Within minutes, those plates had nothing let on them but crumbs.

More seriously, it had given Gopher the break he'd needed, that hadn't been quite enough to sustain him. To the eyes of both his Captain and doctor, the night's excitement had started to take its toll. That list against Isaac's side was becoming more noticeable by the minute. And for a question that had only been asked a few minutes ago, he was clearly struggling to remember his answer to it.

A nod between them sealed it. The first place _this_ little boy was going after finishing his story was straight to bed - though to their amusement, Gopher was showing every kid's reluctance to get there.

"Yeah, um... before I left him that day, he gave me an envelope, telling me not to read it 'til I got home... and to read it on my own. He said it would explain why he missed so much of my childhood, and... well, even though we'd resolved all that, I promised him I'd do it. Anyway, the note inside told me to look inside the old suitcase I'd used when we went on vacation. To look_ really_ hard, and... well, I found this old envelope stuffed into its lining. At first I thought it was just a bunch of old photos of us together. Then I looked closer, and saw this same label written on the back of them. The Boys Of 149, but real faded, y'know? Like that trick you learned in science class, when you wrote secret messages to your teacher in lemon juice?"

A line of amused grins suggested these three 'kids' had either missed this class, or never had it to start with. But then - he hoped - none of them had the family secret that he had. A father who'd worked for Naval Intelligence during one of the most dangerous times in history - and used a childhood game to protect his family from its possible consequences.

"Yeah, I... uh, guess not every science class did that. Anyway, those times when he was home, we'd play Codes with the alphabet, and the note he'd given me told me to remember those times, because now they were more precious than ever. So I dug out the old book we'd used for all our secret combinations and used it against what he'd written on that envelope. It took me a while, but I finally got it... he'd coded Naval Intelligence with their alphabet numbers... fourteen for the N, and nine for the I... then I recognized one of the faces in the photo I was looking at, and..."

"...you realized why your dad was so upset by his friend's death..." Isaac finished for him, the shock on his face mirrored by two others beside him as the full impact of what Gopher had told them sunk in. "He was really scared for you, Goph. He really thought something could happen to you..."

"Yeah, that... uh, kinda freaked me out too," Gopher admitted through a rueful grin, that only widened through what he said next. "But not half as much as the first time I went to that shooting range."

Yeah, wasn't that the truth? He'd been shaking so much he'd shot the neighbouring target, and... yes, he'd keep that little secret to himself. However heroic they thought he was right now, his two big brothers would never let him live it down.

Even so, he had to smile as Isaac continued to stare at him, with even more amazement than he'd done in that tomb.

"Yeah, I bet. And I bet you never thought you'd have to do it for real. You really saved our lives back there, Goph, and... wow, Goph. Really, just..._ wow_."

As he reflected on what he'd just told them, Gopher nodded. All things considered, that awe-struck 'wow' just about covered it. Yet still he felt he had more to tell them. More about the father who'd served his country in ways he'd taken to his grave. The father he'd barely known through his childhood and, with now knowing the real reasons why, that he missed even more.

But no. The tiredness he'd felt before was claiming him with a vengeance now. Not even this rocket fuel coffee could hold it back any longer - a yawn becoming so cavernous that his face almost vanished behind it.

There was a hug for him too now. Not just from Isaac, but Doc as well. A gesture of thanks for trusting them with the secret that had saved their lives.

As time went on, though, so Doc realized the head on his shoulder showed no sign of moving. It took several gentle nudges to lift it upright - and a father's voice to give its owner an order he couldn't refuse.

"Well now, Mr Smith, I think you've had enough excitement for one day. We can talk more tomorrow, if you need to... but right now, you need to get some rest. You _all_ do."

It was a measure of how tired Gopher was that he offered no argument - just a now_ very_ sleepy nod. It took both Doc and Isaac to pull him back to his feet, but just the support of Isaac's arm around his shoulder to walk him towards the door.

Stopped from following them by a hand on his arm, Doc turned to offer his friend and Captain a reassuring smile - the one that only Gopher seemed to invoke.

"He'll be fine, Merrill. But I think he'll be taking you up on that offer tomorrow. He'll put a brave face on it, of course, but finding all this out about his father will have really shaken him up, and brought back all the regrets he still has for those years they lost out on. The more he can talk to us about it, the better he'll feel."

As always, Merrill welcomed his closest friend's counsel. But it was Gopher who still filled his thoughts, and his voice with the same depth of pride.

"If tonight's anything to go by, it'll be quite the tale, and... oh, Adam. Just when I think that boy can't surprise me any more."

"Knowing that boy, he'll never stop trying," Doc grinned, shaking his head through an equally proud afterthought. "But I doubt _anything_ will top this."

"Yes, I think we can forget his bed-time story for tonight," Merrill agreed, his eyes twinkling with the same, rarely seen mischief as they left his cabin. "Now, assuming Isaac hasn't beaten us to it, is it your turn to tuck him in, or mine?"


End file.
